Pastors, apostles and over 1,000 delegates gathered for the Family Impact Conference in Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to “reaffirm the sovereignty of God in the family unit”. The three-day conference held in mid-July 2024 saw delegates travel from other DRC cities of Kinshasa and Goma but also from as far as Nairobi, Kampala and Bujumbura.
The Family Impact Conference is an annual event that is convened by the International Centre for Transformation and Evangelization (CITÉ) whose visionary is Pastor Jerry Abdhala together with Sophie, his wife. The conference that was held in Bukavu is a platform aimed at reaching, evangelizing, transforming and restoring families - in line with the vision of CITÉ.
“Our aim (at the conference) was to expose the families to the Word of God regardless of the denomination so that when they go back to their homes, families or churches, they will have been transformed by the Word of God. It was also an opportunity to evangelize thousands of people who attended the conference,” said Pastor Abdhala in an interview with CDI.
“The conference also provided a platform for church leaders and ministry workers to pray and deliberate on common approaches that can be used to support families in a church setting”, said Pastor Abdala. “The participants had the opportunity to hear from the different speakers. Sometimes we are not open to hearing other servants of God when we are in our churches but the Family Impact Conference removes the denominational barriers and allows people of God to hear and learn from different pastors,” added Pastor Abdhala.
Pastors from Nairobi, Kinshasa and Bukavu taught in the different areas where participants can subject their families to the Lordship of Christ - from finances, to family altars and devotion. “A majority of Churches and evangelical pastors speak more about blessings but do not teach about financial management and Biblical principles of managing money,” said Pastor Abdhala.
The conference comes at a time when the conflict between DRC government forces and rebels in the eastern part of the country has been escalating over the last few months. The government has been battling several jihadists groups and armed militants aiming to seize control of the mineral-rich zones in North and South Kivu. The Islamic militants have, in particular, expanded their activities in eastern DRC. Between January and June, 2024, 639 Christians in DRC were killed, 50 people were abducted and nearly 100 homes, churches and schools were torched.
The conflict, which has been on-going for nearly 30 years, has broken the social-economic structure of thousands of people in eastern DRC, argues Pastor Abdhala.
“Young people are turning to negative coping mechanisms to deal with the conflict. You find couples living together out of economic convenience rather on the foundation of Christ,” explained Pastor Abdhala.
The call to address the family and marriage issues has been urgent in the recent past partly due to the alarming separation and divorce incidences in DRC. “One in three couples are divorcing. Marriage is no longer seen as the spiritual institution God established but it's more of a convenience,” said Pastor Abdhala.
He alluded to the desperation and a sense of betrayal as a result of the conflict. Young people are disillusioned by the lack of opportunities for economic progression. According to a Save the Children report, at least 78,000 children were displaced and families separated in February 2024 alone as the fighting government forces and the M23 armed group intensified.
Pastor Abdala believes the annual gathering will empower believers to be agents of Christ in their families and be the voice of transformation and restoration despite the war at home and conflict in the fields.
